During an endodontic procedure, a dental practitioner uses various endodontic instruments to remove infected material from the root canal of a patient's teeth. These instruments come in a range of diameters and/or cone angles, and are sequentially used to bore out the root canal. To facilitate the procedure, the instruments commonly are organized in a manner that enables the dental practitioner to readily access the various instruments, and to differentiate them based on their diameters. The instruments are also sterilized prior to use to reduce and/or prevent the risk of infection.
Endodontic instruments are sometimes stored in containers that enable a practitioner to organize and/or sterilize the instruments prior to a procedure. Examples of containers for holding endodontic instruments are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,092,443; 4,191,291; 4,232,784; 4,253,830; 4,306,862; 4,397,395; 4,503,972; 5,006,066; 5,108,287; 5,154,611; 5,172,810; 5,358,112; 5,525,314; 5,967,778; 6,464,497; 6,681,925; and 6,719,560 the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.